Packaging System for Storing Agricultural Biomass

ABSTRACT

A flexible packaging system for containing, storing, preserving, and transporting agricultural biomass, such as cannabis or hemp, including an outer shell and an inner liner nested within the outer shell. The inner liner is made of a liquid and gas impermeable material, in which the inner liner defines an interior space and includes a fillable opening through which the biomass is loaded and also includes a two-way sealable spring valve, which allows the controlled passage of gases into and/or out of the interior space, allowing the biomass contained therein to be surrounded only by inert gas, such as nitrogen for up to several months. Containing biomass within the disclosed flexible packaging system maintains the moisture content of the biomass and also prevents the cannabinoid levels from degrading over time.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is the United States national phase of International Application No. PCT/US2020/060183 filed Nov. 12, 2020, and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/934,037 filed Nov. 12, 2019, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a packaging system for containing, storing, packaging, preserving, and transporting agricultural biomass such as cannabis and/or hemp and methods of using same.”

Description of Related Art

The present invention relates to flexible packaging system for the transport and storage of hemp and/or other agricultural biomass, known in the art as “intermediate flexible containers for bulk materials” or FIBC.

The FIBC, also known commercially as “bulk bags” or “big bags”, are normally used to transport and store various types of solid materials in powder, grain, particles or briquettes, such as industrial materials, food, and pharmaceutical quality materials.

Although containers of this type may vary greatly in their characteristics, a FIBC type features a substantially rectangular body constructed from rectangular panels sewn along its adjacent edges to provide side walls, a base and a lid. The lid contains a fillable opening generally equipped with a filling mouth, and the base often may have a discharge opening provided with a discharge mouth. The mouths can be closed, for example by tying them with a rope or other closable means, thus sealing the openings. The FIBC contains one or more lifting points, for example, lifting loops, handles, straps or belts attached to the side panels or to the side edges to facilitate handling of the FIBC by means of a forklift.

A traditional FIBC is made of a single layer of woven fabric. The fabric is generally a polyolefin fabric, for example, polypropylene, and may or may not be laminated with a similar polyolefin on one or both sides. If such lamination is applied, the fabric will be non-porous and, therefore, will be particularly suitable for the transport of finely ground or highly hygroscopic materials, for example, while a fabric without lamination will be typically porous.

In addition, the FIBC may come with an inner liner nested inside of the woven fabric shell that serves to accommodate the transported materials, while the outer fabric body offers structural support. The outer shell of the FIBC may be reusable.

The liner can be tubular, or be adjusted to the shape of the FIBC, and is attached to the outer shell, for example, by knots, glued or sewn. The liner is usually made from non-woven fabric, for example, polyethylene, and is therefore non-porous.

With the legalization of cannabis and the growth of the cannabinoid market, including CBD, methods and materials of containing, handling, drying, storing, packaging, producing, preserving, and transporting agricultural biomass, such as cannabis and/or hemp, is a growing industry. Agricultural bags are being designed to handle the specific needs of agricultural biomass, such as hemp, such as the bags being made and sold by Cannabull LLC as available on www.cannabull.com, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Some materials that are transported using FIBC, such as hemp and other related biomass, may deteriorate during transport. Preserving consistent moisture content in packaged hemp is the major factor in preserving quality of contents. In addition, materials that can undergo microbial growth, such as viral, bacterial or fungal growth, can become contaminated during loading or during transport.

As with other agricultural products, protecting the biomass from the entry of insects or pests is a goal. Another goal of the packaging is providing a bag that is easily used, filled, lifted, and discharged. Of particular concern to the cannabis industry is protecting the stored biomass from mold and/or other harmful bacteria, maintaining the moisture content of the biomass, and/or preventing the quality of product, including CBD and/or other cannabinoid levels, from degrading over time.

Accordingly, the objective of the present invention is to improve existing packaging systems, such as for the containment, production, preservation, storage, and transport of hemp and related biomass products. The solution provided by the invention and its advantages are explained below.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

A flexible packaging system for containing agricultural biomass is described herein comprising: (1) an outer shell comprising an open top; and (2) an inner liner nested within the outer shell, wherein the inner liner is made of a liquid and gas impermeable material, wherein the inner liner defines an interior space, wherein the inner liner comprises a top fillable opening through which the liner may be loaded and further comprising a small opening, located near the top opening of the liner, fitted with a two-way sealable spring valve that is contained within a housing, wherein a top of the valve is designed to engage a hose connector for delivering and extracting gas into the interior space, wherein the engagement of the hose connector with the top of the valve compresses a spring in the valve and disengages a seal in the valve to allow for the delivering and extracting of gas into the interior space.

The outer shell of the flexible packaging may optionally have: full discharge bottom, be designed to be reusable, made of a ventilating material, made of linear low density polyethylene. As an alternative, the outer shell may be made of hemp or a hemp derived product. The inner liner of the flexible packaging system is sealable by means of Ziploc closure, heat sealer, chemical sealer, and zip tie mechanical means.

Also described is a two-way sealable spring valve to be used with the inner layer of the packaging system. The two-way sealable spring valve fits within the small opening of the inner liner and is contained within a housing that covers the small opening in the inner liner. The valve comprises a cylindrical stem, a gas stopper top, an o-ring shaped seal that engages the housing, and a spring surrounding the cylindrical stem. The gas stopper top is designed to engage a hose connector that fits within an inner circumference of the housing for delivering and extracting gas into the interior space. The engagement of the hose connector with the gas stopper compresses the spring of the valve and disengages the seal, creating a gap that is designed to allow the delivering and extracting of gas into the interior space.

Also described herein is a method of containing agricultural biomass comprising: (1) loading biomass into a flexible packaging system; (2) sealing the inner liner; (3) extracting air from interior space of the inner liner through a two-way sealable spring valve; (4) introducing an inert gas into the interior space of the inner liner through one of the one or more valves; and (5) holding the biomass within the inner liner of the packaging system. The inert gas may be nitrogen; the sealing may be by heat sealing; and the extracting may be by vacuum suction.

Methods described herein maintain the moisture content of the biomass for time periods of up to about 9 months. Additionally, cannabinoid content is prevented from degrading over periods of time of up to about 9 months. Finally, the methods of containing the biomass keep the biomass from contacting known biological containments, such as bacteria and/or mold.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an inner liner comprising a valve opening according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a packaging system of comprising an inner liner nested within an outer shell according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the two-way sealable spring valve to be used on the inner liner of the present invention, wherein the valve is in a closed position.

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of the two-way sealable spring valve to be used on the inner liner of the present invention, wherein the valve is in an open position.

FIG. 5 is a hose connector that delivers the gas to the two-way spring valve to be used on the inner liner of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view of the two-way sealable spring valve to be used on the inner liner of the present invention, wherein the valve is in a closed position with a screw cap placed over the valve.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

“Hemp” is a term used to classify varieties of Cannabis that contain 0.3% or less THC content (by dry weight). While “Marijuana” is a term used to classify varieties of Cannabis that contains more than 0.3% THC (by dry weight) and can induce psychotropic or euphoric effects on the user. Marijuana typically contains 5 to 20 percent THC. CBD, otherwise known as Cannabidiol, is a naturally occurring chemical compounds in the hemp plant.

The cannabis plant produces hundreds of cannabinoids, terpenoids and other compounds. One generally recognized cannabinoid that has medical efficacy is Cannabidiol (“CBD”). It is a major constituent of the plant, second to THC, and represents up to 40% by weight, in its extracts. Compared with THC, CBD is not psychoactive in healthy individuals, and is considered to have a wider scope of medical applications than THC, including for epilepsy, multiple sclerosis spasms, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, nausea, convulsion and inflammation, as well as inhibiting cancer cell growth.

It is also believed by many researchers that many of the other cannabinoids, terpenoids and other compounds may have important health benefits and/or be capable of treating certain human diseases.

The packaging described herein is designed to contain cannabis, hemp and raw materials or biomass of the cannabis plant. While the legal definition described above had not been legitimized until the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 passed, “hemp” has generally been used to describe non-intoxicating Cannabis that is harvested for the industrial use of its derived products. Hemp has traditionally been used to make food, rope, clothing, paper, housing material, and now CBD and related health products.

Further information about hemp, including cultivating and growing may be found in the reference “Defining Hemp: A Fact Sheet,” updated Mar. 22, 2019, edited by Congressional Research Service, available at https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R44742.pdf, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

When alive, cannabis has a moisture content of about 80%. It will begin to crumble at a moisture content of about 9%. While opinions differ and there is no industry standard yet to date, some believe that ideal storage is at about 10%-15% moisture. See the article at Sensible Machine, “Water Content In Cannabis Testing,” Jan. 30, 2018, which describes techniques for measuring moisture content available at https://www.sensiblemaine.com/cannabis-science-blog/2018/1/30/water-content-in-cannabis-testing, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. As such “drying,” means removing water in biomass until it is about 10%-15% by weight water. “Dry” cannabis generally means a water content of about 10%-15% by weight.

Measuring moisture content of cannabis can be performed by any known techniques, including, but not limited to the methods described in “Testing the Water: The Top Techniques for Moisture Content Analysis In Cannabis” by Alexander Beadle on Jul. 25, 2019 available at https://www.analyticalcannabis.com/articles/testing-the-water-the-top-techniques-for-moisture-content-analysis-in-cannabis-311811, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

As soon as a cannabis plant has been harvested, it begins to degrade. Not only is the plant itself no longer alive and receiving nutrients from the root ball it was once attached to, the cannabinoid biosynthetic pathways have been disrupted as well. In this process, cannabinoids and terpenes synthesize into other compounds, subsequently altering their psychoactive properties. For example, temperature has the ability to cause THCA to decarboxylate and become THC, but heat and light can cause THC to degrade to CBN (Cannabinol) over time as well. Temperature can affect the degradation of cannabis in several ways. Ideally, cannabis should be stored at temperatures not to exceed 70° F. degrees. Any higher and this begins to introduce an environment conducive to bacterial and mold growth. Elevated exposure to oxygen can also cause rapid cannabinoid degradation. THC, when left in highly oxidized environments, will convert more rapidly to CBN.

It is an object of the present invention to maintain hemp and other biomass in a packaging system that minimizes water weight gain over many months, thus increasing useful “shelf life.” It is desirable to minimize water weight gain over several months, preferably at least 9 months, of stored biomass to less than about 2.5 wt %, preferably, less than 2 wt %.

It is an object of the present invention to maintain hemp and other biomass in a packaging system that minimizes degradation in TCH and other cannabinoids over many months, thus increasing useful “shelf life.” It is desirable to minimize degradation in quality of TCH and other cannabinoids over several months, preferably at least 9 months, to less than about 1 wt %, and preferably, less than about 0.5 wt %.

A typical practice of harvesting, drying, and curing cannabis involves planting, growing, and then harvesting. After cutting and harvesting the plants, traditionally, there have been several options for drying. One option would be to hang dry for about 10-13 days as such methods had been traditionally used for tobacco leaves or other crops. Another drying method would be to utilize a ventilated bag, such as the bags available from Cannabull, LLC at www.cannabull.com, including but not limited to the Cannabag®, CropCase®, and BudBag™. Another drying method would be to field dry for about 10-13 days. Field drying techniques may utilize wooden crate and/or bags.

Other types of drying techniques are described on www.cannabull.com, including, first removing flowers from stems and placing into ventilated bags in 60-pound increments to achieve rapid drying. After secondary processing eliminates fan leaves, the discharge chute winnows up to 100 lbs. of material in 15 minutes. Following separation, the usable top buds can be returned to the ventilated sacks for final drying. Once desired dryness is achieved, the discharge spout facilitates filling for final storage.

Other drying techniques have been developed using a conveyor belt and/or an industrial dryer or heater, and/or related drying techniques. These industrial dryer techniques may reduce drying time and depend on the industrial dryer used.

One method of storing cannabis is to store it—in wooden crates and/or other containers received from the growers—at a facility that maintains a refrigerated environment with an atmosphere of inert gas, such as nitrogen. Drawbacks to containing cannabis in bulk at a hanger or warehouse type facility is that it is expensive to maintain the temperature at about 36-43° F. and also provide the nitrogen atmosphere. Another drawback is that some contaminants to the cannabis are airborne, such as mold, and even with a facility that maintains an inert atmosphere, contamination by mold may be an issue. Finally, even if cannabis is stored at such a facility, the need to package it and/or transport it to its final destination is still an issue.

The present invention is a packaging system that can be utilized in the containing, harvesting, production, preserving, curing, drying, storage, and transportation of cannabis, hemp and/or related agricultural biomass.

The packaging system of the present invention may be used to contain cannabis, hemp and/or any biomass as harvested and/or before and/or during and/or after any known drying technique. The packaging system of the present invention may be used to contain cannabis, hemp and/or any biomass during any of the steps in the supply chain from grower to consumer. The packaging system of the present invention may also be used to contain any agricultural biomass, including any biomass in which moisture content and preservation is important.

A flexible packaging system for containing, storing, producing, preserving, and transporting cannabis, hemp and/or other agricultural biomass comprising an outer shell and an inner liner nested within the outer shell, wherein the inner liner is made of a liquid and gas impermeable material, in which the inner liner defines an interior space and comprises a fillable opening through which the biomass is loaded and also comprises one or more valves, which allow the controlled passage of gases into and/or out of the interior space, allowing the biomass contained therein to be surrounded only by inert gas, such as nitrogen for many months. Containing biomass within the disclosed flexible packaging system maintains the moisture content of the biomass and also prevents the cannabinoid levels from degrading over time.

The combined liner and outer shell comprises an outer shell that can assume any shape used by FIBC, for example, circular, cubic, rectangular or octagonal. In one of the embodiments, the outer shell will preferably have a substantially rectangular shape when the combined liner and outer shell is ready to receive the load or is full. Rectangular containers are stable when filled, can be stacked vertically and ideally fill most of the space available in transport vehicles.

The outer shell may be constructed by known methods, such as by joining separate panels along its adjacent edges, thus providing side walls, base and an upper wall.

The outer shell may be made of flexible, lightweight and physically resistant material. This ensures that an empty container can be easily folded compactly without breaking, that it is relatively light and can be transported and handled by a worker without machinery, and that the body can withstand considerable load pressures without breaking or causing large distortions.

Preferably, the outer shell provides the strength necessary so that it is ‘self-supporting’ in that it can support the inner liner and be fillable without the need of additional structural support. Alternatively, the outer shell and/or inner liner may be placed in a suitable loading frame to give it the necessary support in which to be filled.

The woven plastic fabric of the outer shell may provide excellent physical strength. Typically, the woven fabric is prepared by weaving plastic fibers (i.e. circular cross sections) or ribbons (i.e. flat cross sections). It may be better to opt for tapes since a smaller number of them are required than for fibers to weave a fabric of a certain surface, so the knitting process will be less demanding. The plastic material used for the woven fabric is usually polyolefin, usually polypropylene or polyethylene, preferably polypropylene. The outer shell may be made of a single skin of said woven fabric. If the packaging system is intended for high density materials, the outer shell may be made of two or more layers of this woven fabric to provide greater strength.

The outer shell is generally reusable in that it can be used with multiple inner liners. The outer shell may also be made of hemp or hemp derived material.

The outer shell may also have the Full Discharge Bottom as seen in the Cannabull bags known as the “Crop Case” as seen on www.cannabull.com, which allows the user to control the deposit of flower and biomass into processing and extraction equipment. The outer shell may alternatively have a Flat Bottom if the user does not require a discharge chute on the bottom of the bag.

The outer shell may be made of ventilated or non-ventilated material as described on www.cannabull.com. If made of ventilated material, it is made of anti-virus mesh to protect against the entry of insects or pests, it is breathable to prevent mold and mildew, it offers an economical alternative to costly racking systems for bulk drying commodity level product.

The outer shell comprises an inner space that serves to accommodate the load. The present invention allows the control of the gaseous atmosphere within this interior space. For this purpose, the walls defining the interior space are made of a non-porous material, that is, impermeable to liquids and gases. In particular, the material is impermeable to water and aqueous liquids (i.e., watertight) and air, gaseous components of air (i.e., airtight), and other gases, such as nitrogen, carbon dioxide or chlorine. Waterproof or non-porous means that the material provides a barrier through which these substances cannot pass. Therefore, the walls enclosing the interior space of the packaging system can prevent liquids and gases from the environment from entering the interior space, and liquids and gases from the interior space being released into the environment. The packaging system of the present invention allows the control of the exchange of liquids and gases between the interior space and the environment.

The packaging system also comprises a flexible inner liner. The walls of the inner liner define the inner space that receives the load. The inner surface of the liner is in contact with the loaded material, while the outer surface of the liner is in contact with and rests against the inner surface of the outer shell.

The inner liner provides for hermetically enclosing the load, while the outer shell provides the structural strength necessary to load the bulk material.

A packaging system with both an inner liner and an outer shell is preferred in that it is easier to provide an inner liner impervious to liquids and gases. As explained above, the outer shell is usually made from woven fabric, which is porous and therefore must be laminated to be waterproof. On the other hand, the inner liner is made of non-porous, impermeable material, for example, an extruded plastic sheet. Thus, the inner liner is made of a liquid and gas impermeable material. In addition, the panels of the outer shell are typically joined by seams, but the elements such as the lifting means and/or lifting straps can also be joined to the outer shell by seams. Sewing provides the necessary resistance of the seams, but introduces perforations and, if it is desired that the outer shell be impenetrable to liquids and gases, measures must be taken to seal these perforations. On the other hand, the inner liner may be tightly sealed, for example, by gluing or heat sealing.

FIG. 1 illustrates an inner liner 1 and the relative dimensions of the liner 1 and the placement of the valve 4. The inner liner 1 has an outer surface 3, as represented by the solid line, and an inner surface 2, as represented by the dotted line. The valve 4 should be placed at about 12% to about 25% of the height of the liner, measured from the top of the liner. For example, in a liner measuring 45″×43″×180″, the valve 4 is about 30 inches from the top of the liner 1 (about 17% of the height), as seen in FIG. 1 . In another embodiment, the liner 1 measures 49″×48″×96″, and the valve 4 is about 20 inches from the top of the liner 1 (about 21% of the height). Other dimensions of liners are possible.

FIG. 2 is a packaging system 5 of comprising an inner liner 1 nested within an outer shell 9 with exemplary dimensions according to one embodiment of the invention. The inner liner 1 may have a top portion, known as a skirt 6 that is closeable with a tie 8. The walls of the inner liner 1 may extend beyond the top of the outer shell 9 and fold over the top of the outer shell during loading, i.e., the skirt 6 that will surround the opening of the outer shell. The outer shell 9 may have four handles 7 for ease of handling with a forklift. The packaging system 5 is drawn having equal cube dimensions, for example, 46″×46″×46″. The valve of the present invention is not shown in FIG. 2 .

The inner liner may be any suitable size to accommodate a wide variety of load volumes. Any of the dimensions of bags available on www.cannabull.com may be used herein. Examples of sizes of the inner liner may be: (1) 46″×46″×46″; (2) 45″×43″×180″; (3) 49″×48″×96″ and/or (4) 18″×18″×32″. Other sizes are contemplated. Material volumes of up to about 100 cubic feet, and even 200 cubic feet may be stored in packaging system of the present invention.

After filling an inner liner with biomass, about 70-85%, by volume, is biomass and the remaining volume, about 15-30%, is air. Variations depend on how densely packed the material is and how dry the material is. It is an objective of the present invention to extract the air from the liner containing the biomass and thus replace that air with the same amount (by volume) of inert gas. In some applications, with total volumes of about 6 cubic feet, about 0.5 to about 1 cubic feet of air is extracted. In some applications, about 0.5 to about 1 cubic feet of inert gas is inserted. Other volumes exist for larger inner liners.

It is an objective of the present invention to maintain less than about 3% oxygen in the liner after the inert gas is inserted. The inert gas inserted into the inner liner may be up to 100% nitrogen. Accounting for residual air that may not be able to be extracted and accounting for any impurities of the inert gas, after the insertion of the inert gas, the biomass may have a surrounding environment about 97% nitrogen and about 3% or less oxygen.

The inner liner may have a simple tubular structure or can be adjusted to the shape of the outer shell of the packaging system. It is possible to attach the inner liner to the outer shell, for example by tying, knots, gluing or sewing. Additionally, the inner liner may nest inside of the outer shell and be substantially aligned in size and volume. Since it is contemplated that the outer shell may be re-used multiple times, the inner liner may not be attached to the outer shell. The outer shell and/or inner liners may be sold separately or together, already nested together.

The inner liner, according to the present invention, is made from a liquid and gas impermeable material. For example, in one embodiment, the inner liner may made from a sheet of extruded plastic material (i.e. nonwoven), for example, polyethylene, polypropylene, nylon or metallized plastic, which are non-porous and impervious to liquids and gases The thickness, density and strength of said sheet will depend on the nature of the material to be introduced into the container. The inner liner may have a thickness of about 4 mil (0.004″). Other thicknesses are possible from about 4 mils to about 8 mils.

For example, if the inner liner is made of polyethylene, it may be, for example, high density polyethylene, high molecular weight and high density polyethylene, ultralight and high molecular weight polyethylene density, medium density polyethylene, low density polyethylene, linear low density polyethylene or very low density polyethylene. In another embodiment, the inner liner may be may made of hemp based plastic resin.

The packaging system further comprises a fillable opening at the top through which the materials can be loaded into the inner liner. The opening of the inner liner is aligned with a corresponding opening in the outer shell. The outer shell and/or the inner liner may be top loaded, for example, by means of a hopper or any other type of gravity loading and/or manual loading.

After loading, the inner liner may be closed by known closing means, including, for example, by heat sealing, by glue sealing, by Ziploc sealing, by zip ties, and/or by chemical sealing with a lens-shaped closure. Heat sealing provides an air tight closure. If the inner liner is heat, glued, or chemically sealed, then the inner liner must be physically cut open to unload the materials. Alternatively, if the inner liner has a Ziploc sealing mechanism or a zip tie sealing mechanism, it can be reopened for unloading without destroying the integrity of the inner liner. The type of closure system of the inner liner determines how it will be reopened and the contained biomass unloaded. Some inner liners must be cut or otherwise destroyed to open and therefore can only be used once, while other inner liners might be opened without destroying it and therefore are reusable with another load(s) of biomass.

The outer shell may be closed by any known means. For example, any of the configurations for closure that are illustrated on the outer shells available from Cannabull LLC at www.cannabull.com may be incorporated into the outer shell design herein. These closure means include folding, zipper closure, cinching, tying, Velcro closure, zip ties, and the like. As discussed above the outer shell may also have a Full Discharge Bottom or any other known discharge means for unloading. Alternatively, the outer shell may have a flat bottom. The outer shell may be unloaded from its top.

The inner liner comprises one or more valves, such as the 2-in diameter valve shown in FIG. 1 . The outer shell may have the corresponding opening to make such opening with the one or more valves accessible from the outside.

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the two-way gas spring valve 4 to be used on the inner liner of the present invention. FIG. 3 illustrates the two-way gas spring valve 4 in a closed position. The two-way gas spring valve 4 is cylindrical in shape and comprises a gas stopper top 15 and a spring 10 that surrounds a cylindrical stem 16. The two-way gas spring valve 4 is contained within housing 14. The housing 14 has a vertical section, a bottom section 13 and a middle section 12. The vertical top section of the housing 14 has teeth 17 so as to engage a tube or hose that will either supply or extract the gas. The bottom section 13 of the housing will be glued or otherwise affixed to the outer surface of the inner liner (not shown). The middle section 12 of the housing 14 engages the spring 10 of the valve 4 on its top surface. In the closed position, the middle section 12 of the housing 14 engages the rubber o-ring 11 to create the seal.

The diameter of the housing 14 is about 2 inches. Therefore, the two-way gas spring valve 4 is about 0.5 inches in diameter. The spring 10 can be of any suitable material, such as metal. The housing 14 and the cylindrical stem 16 are made of any suitable plastic material. The gas stopper 15 may be rubber or plastic.

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of the two-way gas spring valve to be used on the inner liner of the present invention. FIG. 4 illustrates the two-way gas spring valve 4 in an open position. There is a space or gap 20 that allows for gas to flow around the middle section of the housing 12 and the cylindrical stem 16 of the valve 4. The tubing 18 of the hose connector fits within the inner diameter of the housing 14. The outer ring 19 of the hose connector rests on top of the housing 14. The hose connector pushes the two-way spring valve 4 down, causing the spring 10 to constrict and causing the o-ring to disengage from the middle section of the housing 12. The direction of the two-way valve is noted by arrow 21.

FIG. 5 is a hose connector 22 that delivers the gas to or extracts the gas from the two-way gas spring valve 4 to be used on the inner liner of the present invention. The hose connector 22 has tubing 18 that is to fit within the inner diameter of the housing 14. There is an outer ring 19 of the hose connector 22 to engage the top of the housing. The pattern on the bottom 23 of the hose connector 22 is designed to mate with the top of the gas stopper 15. The bottom 23 of the hose connector 22 can be pressed onto the gas stopper and twisted into a locked position. Once the hose connector is attached to the two-way gas valve 4 in a locked position, the air can be extracted. This is accomplished with any known pump. Additionally, once the hose connector 22 is attached to the two-way gas valve 4 in a locked position, inert gas, such as nitrogen can be supplied to the inside of the inner liner. The pattern on the bottom 23 is merely illustrative. Other patterns and/or means for engagement with the gas stopper top 15 may be used.

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view of the two-way gas spring valve to be used on the inner liner of the present invention in a closed position with a screw cap placed over the valve. The screw cap has a top 24 and a bottom section 24 that engages with the teeth 17 of the housing 14. The screw cap is used protect the two-way valve 4 when not in use.

The one or more valves provide a means of controlling the gaseous atmosphere within the interior of the inner liner. The valves may be any of those known in the art. The one or more valves may be opened reversibly (i.e., fixed in the open position) to allow the passage of gases into and out of the inner space of the inner liner, or closed (i.e., fixed in the closed position) to form a physical barrier that completely blocks the passage of gases through the opening. Therefore, one or more valves provide a means for the controlled passage of gases into and/or out of the inner liner.

In one embodiment, one valve is positioned on the wall of the inner liner to handle the extraction of air (or other gases) from the interior of the inner liner after the material has been loaded therein. The air may be physically squeezed out and or pumped out (extracted) through the valve opening. A second valve may be positioned on the wall of the inner liner to insert an inert gas into the inner liner once the air has been removed. Such as suitable inert gas is nitrogen or carbon dioxide.

A single two-way spring valve, such as the one described in FIGS. 3-6 may handle both the removal of the air and the injection of an inert gas.

The extraction of air may be achieved, for example, by connecting a suction pump (or vacuum) mechanical or electrical with the valve. The air drawn from the interior space of the inner liner can be released directly to the outside. The valve for the extraction of air may be placed in the upper part of the wall of the inner liner to prevent the loaded material deposited therein from entering the opened valve when the packaging system is in a vertically filled position.

In some applications, the air may be extracted in about 10-20 seconds, depending on the external pump's strength. Filling the inner liner with the inert gas, also, may be about 10-20 seconds, depending on the flow rate and power of the externally supplied delivery tubing and motor.

The one or more valves allow the introduction of gases into the interior space of the inner liner. This can be achieved by connecting a gas source, for example, a container with compressed gas, with the valve. Said gas should preferably be an inert gas, for example nitrogen or carbon dioxide.

In different embodiments, the opening(s) with a valve for extracting the air from the container may be the same as the opening(s) with a valve for introducing gases into the container, or it may be different. Another advantage, in one embodiment, is that the previous opening (s) with valve can be provided with a one-way valve that only allows the passage of gases from the inside to the outside, while the second opening (s) with valve can be provided with a unidirectional valve that only allows the passage of gases from outside to inside.

In one embodiment, the one or more valves may be covered by a gas permeable diaphragm, but impervious to liquids or particulate material on the surface oriented towards the interior space of the inner liner. The optional diaphragm will protect the entrance of liquids or particulate material to the tube connected to the opening and the suction pump or other connected devices or gas sources.

The outer shell preferably further comprises lifting means, for example lifting loops that are configurable for lifting by a forklift. The lifting means on the outer shell may be any of those seen on bags described on www.cannabull.com. The lifting means are generally found on the 4 top corners of the outer shell. In one embodiment, the lifting means are be lifting belts or belts, attached to the walls or the lateral edges of the outer shell at its upper part. The lifting means may protrude above the level of the upper wall of the upper shell, so that it can be easily accessed. The lifting means may be attached to the outer shell by sewing, gluing, or welding, for example. The lifting means facilitate the handling of the packaging system by means of a forklift or a crane, since the fork of the truck, or the hook of the crane, can be easily fitted with the lifting means, for example, through of the opening of the lifting belts. The outer shell may preferably be provided with four lifting belts, one on each side wall or at each junction between the side walls, as illustrated in the figures. FIBC packaging is usually equipped with a lifting means that can be any of those known in the art.

In one embodiment, the packaging system may have one or more additional lifting straps, belts, or other known means to further facilitate handling or emptying of the container.

After the biomass has been introduced into the inner space of the inner liner, the opening of the inner liner is sealed tightly by a closing means, such as by heat sealing. Subsequently, the air present in the inner space can be extracted using a suction pump (i.e., vacuum) connected to an appropriate valve (in the open position) located in the upper part of the inner liner. This generates a negative pressure inside the inner space of the inner liner. The opening of the valve is then closed, and the packaging system may be stored or transported under negative pressure. An alternative is, after extracting the air, to introduce another gas or gases into the interior space of the inner liner through the same valve or through one or more different valves (in the open position). After the inert gas is introduced, the one or more valves are closed and the packaging system can be stored and/or transported. A useful example is an inert gas, such as nitrogen or carbon dioxide, which ensures the biomass is transported in an inert atmosphere, thus preventing deterioration of the quality of the biomass.

Furthermore, after some amount of storage time and/or transport and before opening the sealed inner liner, the biomass may be treated within the interior space of the inner liner using another or the same gas. Therefore, the biomass can be treated with specific gases chosen to achieve specific objectives before unloading.

The inner liner may also have one or more drains located on the bottom portion of the liner. The drains may be an extraction needle, another valve or a one-way drain. The drain functions to drain settled moisture at the bottom of the load. Due to gravity, this water may settle to the bottom of the bag over a period of time. With the addition of the drain more “wet” biomass may be contained in the packaging system than previously considered. The water may be drained periodically, for example, after 1, 2, 3, and 4 months, etc., and/or before final unloading of the load from the inner liner.

The inner liner may also contain one or more moisture absorbing means and/or humidity control packets. Suitable moisture absorbing means include the humidity control product described at https://bovedainc.com, incorporated herein by reference. Other moisture absorbing means may be placed inside the loaded inner liner before the inner liner is sealed closed.

EXAMPLES

Using a Cannabag® with liner system as available on www.cannabull.com, after loading with hemp, air was manually squeezed out of the liner. The liner was then sealed. The liner contained no valve and therefore, no inert gas could be injected into the liner. After five months of storage, testing in a variable humidity environment has shown no change in the net weight of product stored in a Cannabag® with liner. Standard packaging testing (wooden crate and packaging wherein no effort has been made to remove the air) has shown 1-2% net weight fluctuations.

The testing of the liner system with the air manually squeezed out (but no inert gas) showed roughly about 25% degradation of quality in THC and/or CBD. Degradation of cannabinoids is a function of oxygen content and temperature. Remove the oxygen and degradation is limited. However with the use of an inert gas, this was minimized by a high degree.

Using the Cannabag® with inner liner equipped with a two-way sealable spring valve of the present invention having dimensions of 18″×18″×32″, about 1.5 cubic feet of air was extracted. Then, about 1.5 cubic feet of nitrogen was supplied. The inner liner had a biomass content of about 4.4 cubic feet. After 9 months of storage, the hemp was re-measured for weight. The hemp maintained less than 2% net weight fluctuation. Additionally, less than 0.5 wt % degradation of quality in THC and CBD was observed.

The moisture content of the biomass may be determined before the extracting of the air from the inner liner. That moisture content will be compared to the moisture content of the biomass measured after the inert gas has been inserted and after a passage of some amount of time.

The biomass may be contained in the packaging system of the present invention for over 6 months, preferably for about 8-9 months, more preferably over 9 months, without measureable changes in moisture content of the contained biomass. For example, any change in biomass moisture content will be less than 2.5% by weight, preferably, less than 2% by weight if the packaging system of the present invention is used for a period of time of up to about 9 months. For example, after being contained in the packaging system of the present invention and using nitrogen inert gas, after six months, less than 1-2% by weight change was seen in biomass moisture content. For example, after being contained in the packaging system of the present invention and using nitrogen inert gas, after nine months, less than 2% by weight change may be seen in biomass moisture content.

Furthermore, the biomass may be contained in the packaging system of the present invention for over 6 months, preferably for about 8-9 months, more preferably over 9 months, without appreciable degradation of THC and/or CBD content of the contained biomass. Furthermore, the packaging system of the present invention may be used to contain biomass for up to about 9 months without risk of contamination by known contaminants including mold.

The foregoing description of preferred embodiments for this invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Obvious modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The embodiments are chosen and described in an effort to provide the best illustrations of the principles of the invention and its practical application, and to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. All such modifications and variations are within the scope of the invention as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are fairly, legally, and equitably entitled. 

1. A flexible packaging system for containing agricultural biomass comprising: an outer shell comprising an open top; and an inner liner nested within the outer shell, wherein the inner liner is made of a liquid and gas impermeable material, wherein the inner liner defines an interior space, wherein the inner liner comprises a top fillable opening through which the liner may be loaded and further comprising a small opening, located near the top opening of the liner, fitted with a two-way sealable spring valve that is contained within a housing, wherein a top of the valve is designed to engage a hose connector for delivering and extracting gas into the interior space, wherein the engagement of the hose connector with the top of the valve compresses a spring in the valve and disengages a seal in the valve to allow for the delivering and extracting of gas into the interior space.
 2. The flexible packaging system of claim 1, wherein the outer shell further comprises a full discharge bottom.
 3. The flexible packaging system of claim 1, wherein the outer shell is reusable.
 4. The flexible packaging system of claim 1, wherein the outer shell is made of woven polyolefin.
 5. The flexible packaging system of claim 1, wherein the inner liner is made of linear low density polyethylene.
 6. The flexible packaging system of claim 1, wherein the inner liner's top opening is sealable with sealing means selected from the group consisting of Ziploc closure, heat sealer, chemical sealer, and zip tie sealers.
 7. The flexible packaging system of claim 1, wherein the small opening is about 2 inches in diameter.
 8. The flexible packaging system of claim 1, wherein the valve is positioned about 20 to about 30 inches below the top opening of the inner liner.
 9. The flexible packaging system of claim 1, wherein the interior space is designed to contain up to about 200 cubic feet of biomass.
 10. The flexible packaging system of claim 1, wherein the inner liner has a closed bottom opposite the top opening, wherein the inner liner further comprises a drain positioned on the closed bottom for removing settled moisture from the biomass.
 11. The flexible packaging system of claim 1, wherein the inner liner further comprises a second small opening, located near the top opening of the liner, fitted with a two-way sealable spring valve that is contained within a housing.
 12. A method of containing agricultural biomass comprising: loading a volume of agricultural biomass into a flexible packaging system, wherein the flexible packaging system comprises: an outer shell comprising an open top; and an inner liner nested within the outer shell, wherein the inner liner is made of a liquid and gas impermeable material, wherein the inner liner defines an interior space, wherein the inner liner comprises a top fillable opening through which the liner may be loaded and further comprising a small opening, located near the top opening of the liner, fitted with a two-way sealable spring valve that is contained within a housing, wherein a top of the valve is designed to engage a hose connector for delivering and extracting gas into the interior space, wherein the engagement of the hose connector with the top of the valve compresses a spring in the valve and disengages a seal in the valve to allow for the delivering and extracting of gas into the interior space; sealing the top opening of the inner liner; extracting air from interior space of the inner liner through valve; introducing an inert gas into the interior space of the inner liner through the valve; and holding the biomass within the inner liner of the packaging system.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the inert gas is nitrogen.
 14. The method of claim 12, wherein the biomass is held within the inner liner for at least 6 months.
 15. The method of claim 12, wherein the biomass is held within the inner liner for at least 9 months.
 16. The method of claim 12, wherein sealing is by heat sealing.
 17. The method of claim 12, wherein extracting is by vacuum suction.
 18. The method of claim 12, wherein moisture content of the biomass is measured both before the step of extracting of air and after the step of holding the biomass.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the change of moisture content of the biomass less than 2.5% by weight.
 20. The method of claim 12, wherein cannabinoid content of the biomass is measured both before the step of extracting of air and after the step of holding the biomass.
 21. The method of claim 20, wherein cannabinoid quality is maintained within 1%.
 22. The method of claim 12, further comprising, after the holding step, an unloading step, wherein the unloaded biomass is substantially free of contaminants.
 23. The method of claim 12, wherein the volume of biomass loaded is up to 200 cubic feet.
 24. The method of claim 12, wherein the volume of inert gas introduced is greater than about 0.5 cubic feet.
 25. A flexible packaging system for containing agricultural biomass comprising: an outer shell comprising an open top; an inner liner nested within the outer shell, wherein the inner liner is made of a liquid and gas impermeable material, wherein the inner liner defines an interior space for holding agricultural biomass, wherein the inner liner comprises a top fillable opening through which the liner may be loaded and further comprising a small opening, located near the top opening of the liner; and a two-way sealable spring valve fitted within the small opening that is contained within a housing that covers the small opening in the inner liner, wherein the valve comprises a cylindrical stem, a gas stopper top, an o-ring shaped seal that engages the housing, and a spring surrounding the cylindrical stem, wherein the gas stopper top is designed to engage a hose connector that fits within an inner circumference of the housing for delivering and extracting gas into the interior space, wherein the engagement of the hose connector with the gas stopper compresses the spring of the valve and disengages the seal, creating a gap that is designed to allow the delivering and extracting of gas into the interior space.
 26. The flexible packaging system of claim 25, wherein the small opening is about 2 inches in diameter.
 27. The flexible packaging system of claim 25, wherein the valve is positioned about 20 to about 30 inches below the top opening of the inner liner. 